BOSTON – In Toronto, there have now been two instances of fans throwing waffles on the ice as a sort of protest against the team’s terrible play.

While TheBruinsBlog.net would never advocate throwing anything onto the ice surface, maybe it’s time for someone to get a breakfast entrée or two to the black-and-gold-wearing players early in games to prevent yet another instance of the current Bruins being done faster than a one-minute egg.

For the ninth time this season, the Bruins allowed the first two goals of the game en route to their effort-less 3-0 loss to Anaheim tonight at TD Garden.

The lack of spunk and fire the club showed on the ice, despite firing 45 shots on net and Ducks goaltender Jonas Hiller, carried over into the dressing room. The postgame ruminations were typical for a Claude Julien-coached club, where everything stays in-house and hardly anyone ever points a finger or calls anyone out.

To hear the Bruins tell it, no one can figure out a reason for the club’s awful starts, although they’ve allowed the first goal 17 out of 32 times this season. No one can pinpoint why the team’s emotion level can fluctuate not just game to game, but period to period, regardless of opponent. Not a 3-0 lead on Washington at home nor the start of a game for first place in Montreal can get this team to play high-caliber hockey for a long period of time.

Would it be far-fetched to suggest someone let them eat Eggos?

But on a serious note, complacency has obviously come home to roost. Remember all that competition the Bruins had fostered by adding some rookies to a mix of underachieving veterans? Well, that has gone the way of the organ serenading the Garden faithful during breaks in the action. Matt Hunwick and Marco Sturm were jettisoned to make the Bruins cap-compliant. Mark Stuart and Brad Marchand got hurt, leaving the Bruins with the minimum amount of available skaters. Mix in the inability of Boston to keep a young challenger like Jordan Caron on the roster, and also the fact that when they have an a full roster of healthy forwards the Bruins’ only option outside of the top 12 is “Stone Hands” Daniel Paille, and you have a team of players so comfortable in their roster slots they might as well be wearing pajamas and having breakfast in bed.

The Bruins were 12-8-2 when they traded Hunwick; they’re 5-3-2 since. Since the night of the Sturm deal, they’re 1-3-1 and have averaged just 1.80 goals over those five contests.

“We should have been excited about playing this game tonight,” Julien said after his players hemmed and hawed in the postgame dressing room. “We should have been excited. The intention of waking up tomorrow morning or leaving tonight in third place, that should have been exciting enough, and unfortunately that didn’t happen.”

The only visible action Julien took to light a fire under his squad was a third-period line shuffle – a tact he has attempted numerous times during his tenure. This time, it didn’t work. Rewarding Blake Wheeler with a chance to play with Milan Lucic – possible the only Boston forward who broke a sweat – and David Krejci made sense considering the third-year forward’s improved two-way play of late. But putting “Skating Zombie” Nathan Horton on a line with Marc Savard and Michael Ryder, and letting Tyler Seguin get a shot with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi was nothing more than attempting to mix tar with milk to make chocolate milk. Inexplicably, every time Julien tries to turn things around with a lineup jumble, the team’s hardest workers get nailed to the bench.

Gregory Campbell had a rough night with a couple of giveaways that led to Anaheim’s first goal. But he still dropped his gloves with Kyle Chipchura in an effort to zap life into his teammates. Instead of skating just 12 shifts for 8:10, maybe he could’ve shifted out to the wing to add some grit to the Bergeron-Recchi combo. Shawn Thornton skated just nine shifts, yet still fired five shots on goal – none wide, and none blocked. Imagine that, a player working to get the puck through the traffic. It shouldn’t be a surprise Thornton did that, considering he has done it almost every night since arriving in Boston. Maybe get him on a line with a couple of the “skill” guys who think that game night is effort-optional to set an example and really mix things up. Instead, the lunch-pail players take the blame.

Of course, the coach shouldn’t have to stoop to gimmicks. These are grown men, professional athletes, who should not only be able to motivate themselves to want to win at all costs but also earn some pretty hefty paychecks. If Nathan Horton, Dennis Seidenberg and David Krejci can look in the mirror and say they’ve played up to their pay scale lately, then someone should check what’s getting slipped in their orange juice.

Julien spoke after the game about thinking in the overnight hours about how to respond tomorrow morning. Should he loosen things up or make things tough on his players? We already know their 11 a.m. practice won’t run too long because they have holiday toy delivery duties in Boston at 1 p.m. It’s great that the Bruins, as players and as an organization, always put in a 100-percent effort to aid the community and those less fortunate. Now it’s about time the club put forth a similar effort from the first drop of the puck until the final horn.

No one’s asking the Bruins to win every game, just to work harder than the other club every night and cash in some of their two-point performances with an effort that’s worthy of the breakfast of champions. Right now, they don’t deserve more than some soggy, stale toast.

Just saw the Thrashers game and I take back every word. That’s the Bruins team I know and love! For a moment I thought I saw Terry O’Reilly on the ice, it felt like 1979. Great win. Love Shawn Thornton.

I totally agree that Rex looks like his age may be catching up to him. Isn’t it suspicious that no player has publicly backed Claude? None of them have said anything really positive about him. Do u think he was given the option of Sturm vs. Ryder and he chose his Golden Boy and now the players dont want to play for him? It’s a wild theory I know.

Bruins have to start playing tougher as a team. We have one of the bigger teams in the league but we play like a small team (minus the quickness). #1 has to be standing up for your teammates, too many times I have seen other teams take liberties with our players & no one responds. To hell with disipline soyou can get a powerplay (ours sucks anyway), when Selanne shoved Kampfer from behind into the boards he should have been fed a knuckle sandwich immediately. That my freinds is the proper way to respond. same with the Maquaid hit. For gods sake we have the biggest player in the nhl & i know this guy can fight, step up mr. Chara if you are on the ice when crap like this happens. I am not saying we want Chara in the penalty box for fighting every game but when the bell needs to be answered then do it! What the hell is wrong with Lucic as well, in his rookie year he fought every few games & delivered bone crushing hits every game, I don’t see much of that anymore & even though he is scoring a few more goals than back then I would take the total package Lucic anyday over the score abit more but do basically nothing else Lucic. Seguin should have been allowed to go & play for TEAM CANADA at the world juniors, I think it would have helped his development as a player & given him some added confidence upon his return. the list goes on & on but the bottom line is something has to give real soon, either make a coaching change or make a big trade, preferrably both!

Bruins have to start playing tougher as a team. We have one of the bigger teams in the league but we play like a small team (minus the quickness). #1 has to be standing up for your teammates, too many times I have seen other teams take liberties with our players & no one responds. To hell with disipline soyou can get a powerplay (ours sucks anyway), when Selanne shoved Kampfer from behind into the boards he should have been fed a knuckle sandwich immediately. T

I am going to the B’s Hab’s game in February with 180 people from my work. The Bruins better be fixed by then. I got no issue with the Recchi criticism. He is looking real slow these days. Caron and Sauve up please. Maybe the don’t can CJ, but I bet they are checking the options.

I love this blog, it’s like therapy for me (sorry for not going to the book signing Matt, I live in New Haven, CT). Anyway, I’ve loved the Bruins ever since I grew up watching Stan Jonathan and Terry O’Reilly in the late 1970s. I’m a Bruins fan through and through and I’m not going anywhere. That said, it’s tough to like this team. It’s simple: if they don’t give-a-crap then I feel like a real jerk for spending my time and hard earned dollars traveling to games. I last went to the Bruins-Senators game on November 13th. What a boring game, the Bruins (except for Shawn Thornton!) slept through the entire thing.

I got married this year and my new wife has become a hockey fan. I took her to some Bruins games like that stinker against the Senators on 11/13 and then we saw a Montreal Canadiens’ game in the Bell Center (we were on a vacation). Now she’s a Habs fan. I told her the Habs were evil and that Hab fandom was totally unacceptable. Her response: “Look, I’d root for the Bruins but they don’t play with any passion. The Habs care, their fans care. I just can’t get into the Bruins. Except for Shawn Thornton, I like him. He cares. I guess you can say I’m a Shawn Thornton fan, but I’m not a Bruins fan.”

Can’t say I blame her. Unlike me she didn’t grow up a Bruins fan. Anyone following the NHL as a newbie in 2010, would be crazy to choose to support a listless team like this one. Anyway, maybe I’ll go to the Thrashers game on Thursday. The Thrashers are a great team with lousy fans; the Bruins are a lousy team with great fans. Maybe we can make a trade with Atlanta – let’s trade entire squads so Bruins fans can root for Evander Kane.

This makes me sick. I did not drop thousands of dollars on decent season tickets to watch a team whose intensity pales in comparison to my old high school. Claude’s system is STIFLING this talent, as someone said above me… I’m sick of his lack of emotion, his lack of creativity in a changing game, and his refusal to try to implement a new system. The greatest coaches in the history of this game were great because they were able to adapt to changes in the game, and able to motivate their players… can you imagine what this team would look like if Pat Burns, God rest his soul, were still alive, well, and coaching this wealth of talent?

It’s a sad day when a coach is out-strategized by 20 fans on a blog… but this is the case now. Everyone can see the issues, why can’t PC or even Claude himself?

On the bright side of life… 45 shots. At least they were able to figure out the general direction they’re supposed to skate in, so that’s an improvement over the 2 periods against Wash. Oh, and Kampfer looks good too. Gotta agree with the comments about something going wrong in the locker room,there is definitely a disconnect between what we see on paper and what we have on ice. Kind of like New Jersey but not quite at that level. As much as I like Julien, it may be time to find a coach who’s voice is audible above the buzz created but the disinterest of the team.

Comment of the day! First person with guts to criticize Recchi. He can still be effective, but obviously needs time off and/or linemates that are going to care. He can’t be the only aggressor out there.

Claude thought that Paille played a very good game. Does that clarify where Claude is??? Also, noone mentions REX. He no longer controls the puck or skates well. Isn’t it time to retire him to the rafters??

I don’t presume to know what goes into the decision to fire a coach but if PC functions like most humans a pros and cons list might help, here’s hoping he sees mine.

Let’s start with pros to be nice
08/09 Jack Adams Trophy
3 years straight playoff birth
1st in east 3 years ago

Cons and also criticism of pros column
Last year’s lowest scoring team in nhl
3-0 SERIES LEAD BLOWN (this one should be enough)
inconsistent play for past two years
system that stifles offensive talent that PC pays a premium for
As for the Jack Adams trophy Timmy won the Vezina on his own and Chara had a career season, I’d like to say that claude had something to do with the players offensive output but it would seem that the longer they spend playing for him the less offensive they become, (with the noted exception of looch who likely doesn’t listen to julien as exemplified by all those times he was sent to the third and fourth line and not ryder)
This year’s current slide that if the bleeding is not stopped we will miss out on the youth and talent we have right now and we will have to watch the f’ing habs play past us again.

I can’t accept that the way this team has played, with a lack of heart or balls, is sitting well with Cam. He was given this new position this year, maybe it’s time for him to step in and make a big splash, and I think that starts with moving on from Julien’s style of FIFA hockey. Play to win, don’t play not to lose.

I don’t know what everyone is so upset about. Thanks to the “big, bad” bruins, after the second period of last nights game, I was able to catch up on all my DVR’d shows. I actually want to thank them for being so uninterested in the game, that I felt no need to watch after 40 minutes, and guess what? I feel freakin’ great today! No sore throat from yelling at the TV, no sore knuckles from punching things, no pissed off girlfriend because of “my temper”, no further damage done to my humble abode out of frustration due to their lack of effort, jam, heart, and pride. If they’re fine with it, which they clearly seem to be, then so am I.

Serioulsy though, what a f#@%ing disgrace the last 5 periods have been.

As much as it pains me to say I have to agree that Juien has lost the room. This team has some real offensive threats but the system forces them to stifle all that creativity. Yes you have to play defense to win cups…but you also have to care about winning…and when you feel like you are playing to not lose (which we have to admit is what this system does) its hard to get excited. We have arguably the best goalie in the game so lets take some chances. Fore-check, let the defense pinch, play to score goals…whats the worst that can happen? we lose? well we are doing that now and the games are as boring as sh*t. If Julien let some of our gifted players get out there and use those gifts we might not win the cup but at least we would have some guys who like to come to the rink and play. And without that there will never be another cup in the Hub.

The Anaheim game is no different than most of the games they have played this season. They coast through 40-55 minutes and expect Thomas to stop everything. Tonight, he didn’t so they lost. This is what I have been saying for weeks.

There is a lot of overpaid, overrated dead weight on this team it seems. Either that, or there is no motivation from behind the bench. Something needs to happen and I am sure it will.

I´m tired of Juliens style. This team really needs a shake. We need someone that sees Hockey in a different way. And as Stain said I start to think there might be something wrong on the locker room too. You don´t see guys smiling or playing with each other.
Just wanted to say how much I missed Marchands play and style last night. It´s no fun at all without him there.

ya, i gotta pile on here. i am usually level-headed and make fun of the fans freaking out and calling for claude’s head after any old regular season loss. BUT, this is different. this is unacceptable. something must be done. NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!!!!

This team needs a major shake up. Whether it is a big time trade or a coaching change….I dont care, but something has to be done.
I do not see or feel the love between teammates. Something has to be wrong in that locker room. This team is way too talented to let this season get away.
The organization needs to define the problem and act now….not later. I believe it is time to panic.

The fans deserve better. One thing I am happy about is….I did not spend $100+ to attend the game tonight. As a matter of fact, I am finding myself doing “stuff” around the house, while the game is on in the background. Normally I am glued to the set….pregame, gametime and postgame.

i think its obvious that the players hate their coach. why else would they seemingly refuse to give a s*** on a night in night out basis? last year philly and the year before that pittsburgh saw the same thing and made the move…will neely and the jacob$$$ have the balls to pull the trigger and can this numbskull?

how can julien sit by and let every team board his players and not respond? ( how did the flash not get a 5min major for that?) do the b’s decide to not forecheck as part of a philosophy? is it insane to think that horton and savard make much more sense horty and krejci? same with seguin and bergy. how does chara get all this credit when he consistently falls over himself and shoots into shin guards, he is a skating abortion. i’m sick of this, i wish the team cared half as much as the fans do.